| Guvnor

What this means for your business

6 obligations

6 penalties

6 can imprison

4 guides

Enforced by: HSE
Applies to: United Kingdom
On this page: 6 compliance obligations, 4 practical guides across 2 topics

Read full text on legislation.gov.uk

What you must do

6 compliance obligations under this legislation — 6 can result in imprisonment.

Risk assessment 1

If any of your work exposes staff to noise at or above the lower exposure action value, you must assess the risk to their health and safety. The assessment must look at how loud the noise is, how long people are exposed, any peak sounds, and interactions with other hazards, and you must review it regularly, involve employees, and record the results and any control measures you plan to take.

Employer s.5 HSE Work that may expose employees to noise at or above the lower …

Management duties 4

You must make sure that any risk from workplace noise is removed at source, or, if that isn’t reasonably practicable, reduced to the lowest level that is reasonably practicable. If workers could be exposed to noise at or above the upper exposure action value, you must put in place a programme of organisational and technical controls (apart from personal hearing protectors) and keep exposure below the legal limit at all times. You also need to provide quiet rest areas, adapt measures for vulnerable staff and consult employees on the actions you take.

Employer s.6 HSE When employees are exposed to noise – especially if exposure could reach …

You must make sure that any equipment you provide to protect workers from noise (apart from personal hearing protectors) is used correctly and kept in good working order. This includes checking that staff are using the equipment as intended and arranging repairs or replacements when needed.

Employer s.8 HSE

If your risk assessment shows employees are or could be exposed to harmful noise, you must set up health surveillance (including hearing tests) for them. Keep a personal health record for each employee, let them see it on request, and give copies to the HSE if asked. If a test shows hearing damage, arrange a doctor’s exam, inform the employee, review your risk assessment and controls, consider moving the worker to safer duties, and continue monitoring all affected staff.

Employer s.9 HSE Risk assessment indicates a risk of noise‑related health effects to employees who …

If any of your staff could be exposed to noise at or above the lower action value, you must make hearing protectors available when they ask for them. If the noise can’t be reduced below the upper action value, you must give protectors to everyone exposed, set up clearly marked Hearing Protection Zones, restrict access where practical and make sure protectors are worn.

Employer s.7 HSE When employees are likely to be exposed to noise at or above …

Training 1

If your workers are exposed to noise at or above the lower exposure action value, you must give them (and their representatives) clear information, instruction and training about the noise hazard, how it is being controlled, the legal exposure limits, hearing‑protectors, how to spot hearing damage and their health‑surveillance rights. Keep this information up‑to‑date whenever the type of work or the way it is carried out changes.

Employer s.10 HSE When employees are exposed to noise likely at or above the lower …